Greetings from the Burgh, where we are closely watching the Tennessee Special Election.
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GOP Wins By Only 8 In Trump +22 Tenn. District
Tonite, in a heavily gerrymandered Tennessee Congressional Special Election, that voted for Trump by a margin of 22%, Democrat Aftyn Behn, a progressive state legislator, held Republican Martin Van Epp to a margin of victory of only 8%..
The GOP scored the narrow victory only after a pro-Trump Super PAC dumped $1.7 million into the race against Behn, accusing her in attack ads of supporting efforts to defund the police.
Despite the narrow defeat for Democrats, many celebrated it as a sign that Republicans will have much to worry about in next year’s Congressional election. The close margin of victory could help Democrats as they fight to renew insurance subsidies for low-income Americans.
“If our victory margin is single digits, the conference may come unhinged,” one senior House Republican told POLITICO ahead of the race.
2,000 Des Moines Nurses to Vote on Unionizing
In Des Moines, over 2,000 nurses employed by the non-profit UnityPoint healthcare system are voting this week on whether to union. Despite the election being delayed by two months due to the federal government shutdown and a fierce anti-union campaign, the Teamsters are confident that they will win the union election.
“I do truly think this is something that will go through,” nurse Sami Ladd told the Iowa Capital Dispatch. “I do think this (is) something that our community, Iowa, and nurses, deserve.”
For more, check out the Iowa Capital Dispatch.
(Photo credit at top: Robin Opsahl/Iowa Capital Dispatch)
Starbucks’ Longest and Largest Strike Enters Third Week
More than 2,500 Starbucks workers at 120 stores in 85 cities have been on strike for more than two weeks now. It's the largest and longest strike so far in Starbucks history.
The strike comes as the union and the company have reached over 30 tentative agreements on various matters since last April. The union is hoping, as more stores join the strike, that Starbucks will be forced to settle the union contract, but Starbucks claims that the stores on strike represent only 1% of their total stores worldwide.
“Workers are done, and they’re going to continue to escalate,” Starbucks Workers United organizer Michelle Eisen told the Guardian. “They’re going to continue to be on the unfair labor practice strike, and they are prepared to make this the longest and biggest strike in company history if the company doesn’t return to resolve these remaining issues.”
For more, check out the Guardian.
The Pitt TV Show Production Assistants Win Union Contract
Finally, big news out of Pittsburgh today, where production assistants with the hit TV show The Pitt have won a first union contract. The win is a huge victory for entry-level production assistants who have traditionally been excluded from most unions.
The contract is the first production assistants group to unionize with the Production Assistants United movement, affiliated with Hollywood laborers’ union LiUNA Local 724. From the Hollywood Reporter:
Principally, the labor contract allows PAs on the show to qualify for the Motion Picture Industry Health and Pension plans like other crew members. Returning PAs for the show’s third season, if it is greenlit, will also receive a $1.22 an hour raise per the deal.
The contract also tackles the issue of career development for PAs, many of whom in recent years have felt stuck in the entry-level role. It facilitates the creation of a “pathway committee” of employer and union representatives who will together determine “existing opportunities [and] challenges” for PAs to rise up the ranks on set and brainstorm “potential solutions,” the union stated. The contract additionally offers PAs professional development training paid for by the production.
“I’m deeply grateful to the company for taking the time to acknowledge the vital role PAs play on film sets,” The Pitt set PA Mike McWilliam said in a statement. “The absence of health care benefits has been difficult, especially for those of us with families.” He called the new benefits “a major achievement that will support PAs and their families across the country.”
Read the full story at the Hollywood Reporter.
To learn more about efforts to unionize production assistants and other entry-level jobs, check out Payday’s study “22,000 Entertainment Workers Have Unionized in 2 Years Since Writers Guild Strike”
News & Headlines Elsewhere
- Liberal towns backtrack on license plate trackers amid concerns about Trump’s immigration policies
- Starbucks to pay $35 million to NYC hourly workers
- San Francisco teachers take key step toward strike
- ‘I'll fire every H-1B worker’: Florida Governor hopeful pledges to incentivise firms to hire Americans
- Northern Ontario steel mill issues layoff notices to 1,000 workers
- Trump HR chief ends tuition-break program for federal workers
- Finally, Amber Czech was murdered at work. Tradeswomen say it could have happened to any of them.
Alright, folks, that’s all for today. Keep sending comments, complaints, and tips to melk@paydayreport.com
